A typical floor drain is a plumbing fixture that is installed in a floor of a structure to remove standing water. Floor drains can be found in showers, sinks, restrooms, kitchens, refrigerator areas, locker rooms, laundry facilities, among other places. Drains can be round, square, rectangular, linear, or any suitable shape.
Drain plugs are used to prevent water from passing through drains. A drain plug can be used when a user wants to fill a bathtub, for example. Stand-alone plugs can be quickly placed and removed. For example, one tub stopper, manufactured by OXO International, Ltd. having its headquarters at 601 West 26th Street, Suite 1050, New York, N.Y., 10001, is a silicone-based stopper which merely covers a drain. The tub stopper includes an annular body and a suction cup extending outwardly from the annular body. The suction cup secures the stopper to the floor of a tub when in use and to a wall for storage when not in use. While the tub stopper can plug a drain, it cannot also be arranged to provide the functionality of a strainer. Other plugs are connected to a plumbing fixture by a chain, for example. However, such plugs can be difficult to clean and replace. Still other plugs are part of complicated drain covers which cannot be easily placed, removed, cleaned, or replaced.
Another common problem with drains is that over time they can become clogged due to the buildup of hair. A strainer is a type of perforated sieve used to strain or filter out solid debris from running water. One example strainer is a plate strainer which includes a perforated plate fixed to a drain. Water flows through the perforated plate while larger items are prevented from passing through. Another example strainer is a basket strainer which includes a perforated basket. Basket strainers are typically used in vertical systems. Some strainers are secured with screws while others can be secured using suctioning means.
An article which functions as a plug and a strainer is typically complicated and includes multiple movable components. One example bathtub stopper is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,007,500 (Thompson et al.). The bathtub stopper is arranged to close the drain passage of a strainer cup of a bathtub and includes a main body portion which has first and second components adapted to telescope longitudinally with respect to each other between an extended position and a shortened position. The components are also rotatable with respect to one another about the longitudinal axis of the main body. The first component is manually engageable to be rotatably driven about the longitudinal axis and the second component is adapted to be secured to a strainer to locate the main body in an operative position with respect to the strainer. Unfortunately, the bathtub stopper is complex and not easy to position, remove, clean, or replace.
Therefore, there is a long-felt need for a drain cover that is easily positionable, removable, cleanable, and replaceable.
A drain cover having a single component which serves as a means for sealing and a means for removing the cover from the drain is needed.
Additionally, a simple drain cover that functions as a strainer and a plug when needed is desirable.